My Way of Feeling Wine Series #4: Wine, a Drink That Awakens Memories

In Japan, people who want to learn about wine often attend schools or academies, where they study regions, grape varieties, soils, winemaking methods, and vintages. That knowledge matters. But the first lesson I received from wine lovers in Spain and Portugal was simpler:

“First, drink. And cherish what you feel.”

Rather than searching for the right answer, they encouraged me to trust my own senses.

After nearly forty years on the Iberian Peninsula—and countless wines—I have come to feel that wine is a drink that awakens memories. A single bottle can bring back streets I walked decades ago, meals I shared while traveling, conversations with particular people, or the light of a certain day.

Wine’s aroma is more than the scent of fruit or flowers. It can carry the aroma of life itself.

Recently, tasting CARM Natural brought Japanese honeyed plums to mind. The wine changes with each vintage: the 2020 offered an aroma of apples, while the 2021 recalled honeyed plums.

As I began writing, another memory surfaced: Alentejo, one of my favorite regions in Portugal. There, I had often eaten Sericaia, a traditional sponge cake baked in an earthenware dish and served with plums in syrup. The wine reminded me that Portugal, too, has a culture of enjoying plums.

I have never encountered the same custom in Spain, and whenever I visit Alentejo, I feel a curious connection between Japan and Portugal.

In that moment, a natural wine like CARM Natural brought Japan, Portugal, and my own memories together.

The Douro is home to lesser-known native grape varieties such as Códega de Larinho and Rabigato. Why grapes grown in this terroir can evoke the scent of plums remains part of wine’s mystery—and part of the pleasure of exploring its aromas.

To discover your own memories, landscapes, and fragments of life in a glass is to cultivate a personal world of wine.

Pour yourself a glass of CARM Natural and see where it takes you. Perhaps the journey is not about finding a new aroma, but about meeting memories of yourself you have yet to discover.

Learn more about CARM Natural White 2021

About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!